Shadowed Dreams of Eternity
by dhemphyrslayer1907
Summary: Cell 7 goes on a secret mission to the Land of Sand with a mysterious companion. Who is Yoko and what secrets does she hide? Rated T for later violence.
1. A Mysterious Companion

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Evanescence lyrics, Krystal Meyers lyrics or the lyrics to "Mercy Came Running". I do own Yoko and most of the Naruto manga. Please R&R. Thank You!

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CHAPTER ONE

"What does Lord Hokage want, Kakashi-sensei?" Haruno Sakura asked her silver-haired mentor, who was so absorbed in his own thoughts he was without his usual book.

"You'll find out when we meet with her," Hatake Kakashi replied, his face and tone revealing nothing to her observing green eyes.

"I bet it's some top secret ninja mission," Uzumaki Naruto said, nearly jumping up and down with enthusiasm.

"Shut up, idiot. You're too noisy to be assigned a top ninja mission." Uchiha Sasuke, the final member of the genin cell said, his voice filled with censure and boredom.

_"Sasuke-kun is SOOO awesome,"_ Sakura sighed dreamily to herself.

Blue eyes flashed with anger. "Who are you calling an idiot, you stupid jerk." the spiky haired blonde shouted, waving his arms up and down in front of Sasuke's impassive face.

"Both of you, calm down and be quiet." Kakashi ordered as he came out of his daze. They reached the Hokage's door in a tentative silence.

Kakashi knocked gently on the door, a look of surprise crossed his face when Lord Hokage herself answered the door. He quickly masked his face, observing the Hokage's face. He was saddened by what he saw. Tsunade was looking tired and worn out.

"Lord Hokage." Kakashi greeted his friend warmly.

"Kakashi," she acknowledged, sitting down in her chair, "I have an A-rank mission for your cell. Since your cell is of the genin level, you may chose to accept or reject this mission."

Kakashi looked at his team and saw their acceptance written on their young faces, filling him with both pride and concern simultaneously. "We will accept. What's the assignment?"

"Over the past three months, I have sent two ninja cells to the Land of Sand, but shortly before they arrived at their destination, I lost contact with them. I haven't heard from a single one of the ninja since then. Your mission is to find out what happened to them and complete the assignment they set out to achieve. It is written on one of these scrolls." She said gesturing to five scrolls in front of her, "which I will give to one of you." "From now on you will refer to Kakashi as 'Dad'. Sasuke, you will be the oldest son at 16 years old. Naruto, you're next at 14 years, and Sakura, you're the youngest at 13."

"Why does Sasuke get to be the oldest?" Naruto complained. _"He always gets the best spot on the missions. Stupid Uchiha prodigy."_

"Wait a second, if there are four of us, then why are there five scrolls?" Sakura asked sounding confused.

Lord Hokage ignored Naruto and continued. "In response to Sakura's question, you will be joined by another. Anrui Yoko," she gestured to a young woman in a dark violet hooded cloak, silhouetted in the dark corner behind the cell, "will be Sasuke's older twin."

_"When did she get here?"_ Sasuke asked himself.

_"She made no noise, I didn't even sense her. I'm losing my touch."_ Kakashi thought, frowning behind the mask that covered his lower face.

"_She better not try to seduce Sasuke,_" inner Sakura screamed furiously.

"Who is she? I've never seen her in the village." Naruto said, pointing at the strange girl, completely oblivious of the fact she wasn't there when they arrived. "And what's with the weird clothing?"

"Lord Hokage, why do we need another person for this mission?" Sakura asked, silencing Naruto with a glare and a partially raised fist. Only Kakashi saw the cloaked girl smile slightly in amusement.

"Most people are aware that ninja cells are three members, and though with Kakashi you have four members, there is the possibility of you being suspected as a Genin cell. Although ninja cells going 'undercover' is unlikely, it is not unheard of, so Yoko will be joining you as a fifth member. You will be traveling as a family of metal-smiths. Yoko has everything you will need to become your part. Sakura, you will be dyeing your hair blonde, and Naruto, you will be using contacts to change your eyes to green. Kakashi, you will dye your hair black and wear an eye patch over your Sharingan eye. You can"t wear a mask, so Yoko will cover your scars on your face."

"But who are you though, and why were you chosen to go with us?" Naruto asked again.

"That doesn't matter right now." Kakashi replied when he saw a look of irritation pass over the Hokage"s face.

"You will be staying at Yoko's house for tonight. Your mission begins at dawn, so you have until then to get into character." The Hokage handed out books and scrolls to everyone in the room before dismissing them.

"We'll go to Sasuke's house first." Kakashi ordered, "Naruto, you're next, then Sakura, and lastly mine."

They walked in a relative silence to Sasuke's house, save for the semi-frequent questions Naruto asked Yoko, which she ignored. They entered Sasuke's house, the only fixed up house in the blacked remains where the Uchiha Clans used to live before Itachi, Sasuke's older brother, massacred them all, leaving Sasuke alone alive.

"It's so dark, Sasuke." Sakura said, trying to use the darkness as a reason to get closer to Sasuke. Sasuke crossed the room and opened the blinds covering the windows. Light flooded the clean, sparsely furnished dwelling.

"Stay here." Sasuke said over his shoulder as he went into a room off the kitchen. He grabbed his training outfit, and a bag and tossed them on the bed. He reached underneath and grabbed a box that held his weapons. Opening the false bottom to his bag, he put in two kunai knifes, some throwing stars, a Shuriken, and the scroll. Putting his clothes inside the main pocket with the books he had been handed, he put the box under the bed and went out to the main room where his friends awaited him. "Done. Let's go." Sasuke said as he went to shut the blinds.

They left and headed to Naruto's, getting there swifter than to Sasuke's, although the distance was identical.

"Ugh, what a mess." Sakura said, flipping her pink hair out of her face.

"Do you EVER clean?" Yoko asked, her soft, smoky voice filled with disgust and condemnation, causing the others to look her in surprise.

"Whoa. You CAN speak!" Naruto said, then realizing what she said, continued indignantly. "Hey! Of course I clean!"

"Uh-huh." Sasuke grunted, the skepticism and contempt written on his face echoed in his voice. Naruto was about to argue when Yoko held up her hand.

"Go and pack what you need." she said with authority. The intensity in her voice and on her face stopped Naruto, and sent chills up his spine. As he quickly left to do as she told him, Sakura walked over to Yoko's side.

"What is it," the young ninja asked, her voice high from masked fear. Yoko remained quiet and her eyes were glazed, unseeing, as if her mind had drifted off to another time and place.

_"He's close,"_ Yoko thought to herself. _"Why? Why come back now?"_ She screamed silently in frustration. _"Oh God, please, not now."_

Memories flashed, unbidden, through her mind, trying to drown her in the rapid flow of mistakes she had made. _"No!"_ She yelled to the darkness consuming her in the shadows and fears of her past. _"No! I'm no longer that girl."_

She started to hum to herself, them slowly began to sing, her voice getting louder with every passing second.**_"I can almost see mercy's face pressed against the veil, looking down with longing eyes, mercy must have realized, once his blood was sacrificed, freedom would prevail, and as the sky grew dark and the earth began to shake, with justice no longer in the race. All the years left me torn apart, hopeless and afraid, walls I never meant build left this prisoner unfulfilled, freedom called but seemed so far away, I was bound by the chains from the wages of my sin and just when I felt like giving in┘Mercy came running like a prisoner set free, passed all my failures to the point of my need, when the sin that I carried was all I could see, and when I could not reach mercy, mercy came running to me."_**

A ray of light pierced the impenetrable darkness.

_"Go away. You have no power here because light has triumphed."_ She said to her memories as their icy grasp on her mind started to weaken. As she turned to run into the light she saw a grotesque face with evil-looking demonic eyes glaring at her. It's gravely voice hissed inside her head.

**"I will win. You'll give in to me soon. You can sense it, can't you? Darkness will command you."**

_"I won't be held down by who I used to be. God will make something beautiful come out of the ruins and scars of my past, so just shut up!"_ Yoko commanded the creature.

**"You expect your 'god' to save you and you can't even give him your past, your life, or your heart. Those belong to ME and they ALWAYS will!"**

It started to laugh, it's laughter making Yoko nauseous. _"Go back to Hell where you belong!" _Yoko said, stepping into the sunshine as she threw a dagger of light and wind out of her palm, hitting the demon just inches of where his heart should be. It screamed in pain and vanished from her sight, but Yoko knew he'd be back, that this was just the beginning, a slight rousing of the water. She wondered if she would make it out alive and with her soul intact.

"YOKO!" Kakashi's voice came through the remaining tendrils of fog in Yoko's mind, helping her secure her usual icy calm.

Yoko opened her eyes to see Kakashi in front of her, concern written on his face. The rest of Cell 7 was gathered nearby, watching her.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked, looking spooked.

_"Man, that was creepy!"_ Sakura thought, rubbing her arms against the damp cold that suddenly permeated the room.

"Let's get going. Don't concern yourselves with me." Yoko's voice became slightly melodious as she infused her command with chakra, using a jutsu to take a semi-control of their minds.

_"Hanasu," _(1) Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura thought simultaneously, their hands quickly flying through the signs needed with a practiced ease.

"Right then, let's go." Naruto said, unaware of the jutsu cast on him. Kakashi walked over and released Naruto.

"Whoa! What happened?" Naruto asked confused.

Sasuke and Sakura glanced to Kakashi as he answered, "Yoko's voice can have a hypnotic quality to it. She can control things and people with her words."

"Like Ino's Mind-Transfer Jutsu?" Sakura asked, as inner Sakura growled thinking of her rival for Sasuke's affection.

"Something like that." Sasuke watched Yoko face flash with irritation as she answered Sakura's question.

_"I don't like her."_ Sasuke thought, _"but something compels me to trust her, even though she reminds me of Itachi."_ Unknown to Sasuke, the other member of his cell were experiencing similar thoughts and feelings.

"I'm finished." Sakura said, as she came out of her room her eyes down to avoid Yoko's gaze. The cell got off the couch as Sakura looked up. She saw that Yoko was at the window with her back to them, watching lightning streak from the sky.

**BOOM.**

"Ahhh," Naruto cried, jumping off the couch and hiding behind it.

"You are such a baby, Naruto." Sakura said, going and pounding him hard on the head.

"Let's go." Kakashi said, as Yoko and Sasuke rolled their eyes.

The cell headed out into the rapidly worsening storm, the wind blowing ferociously and the rain biting as they headed to Kakashi's apartment. The stores were all closing swiftly as the weather clashed and battered every one in it's path. The clouds looked formidable and evil in the darkening skies, the earlier occurrence with Yoko not far from the ninjas minds.

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JAPANESE WORDS

1) Hanasu-release

A/N: Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon. Thanks.

DS


	2. A Place to Stay, Flashbacks

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto's Original plot. Yoko, this story's plot and many of the Naruto Manga are mine.

Thank you to Valinor's Twilight, VampireToshiro, Isis the Sphinx, the.phantom.banana, fearie fighting 101, and juusan'ya for all your help. God Bless You.

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CHAPTER TWO

"Why are we at the Training Grounds?" Sakura asked, yelling over the wind and thunder.

"Yeah, why don't you live in town like a normal person?" asked Naruto, who was rubbing his arms against the biting rain.

"We're actually in the outskirts of the original forest, before it was split into training grounds." Yoko answered as if lightning wasn't constantly striking the ground all around them and the rain wasn't a drenching veil, blinding them to anything five feet is front of them.

"Well I hope you have a good sense of direction because I can barely see my hand in front of my face, "Naruto complained.

Yoko sighed irritability. "Kakumau," (1) she said as her hands swiftly made the signs to complete her jutsu.

"Kakumau? I've never hear of that before." Sakura said, as the rain stopped.

"It's a shield," Sasuke said as Sakura and Naruto looked up. A transparent shield surrounded the 15 feet around the group, protecting them from the storms fury.

"Wow," Naruto said still shivering from the cold.

"Sasuke, you are so smart!" Sakura simpered to the protegee, her eyes making hearts at him and her voice sickly sweet.

_"Argh."_ Naruto thought, fuming, _"why do all the girls like Sasuke? He's nothing special!"_

Sasuke pointedly ignored her, but made sure she saw him roll his eyes in annoyance.

Naruto calmed seeing this and walked to Sakura asking, "Since Sasuke turned you down,, want to go out for ramen when we get back from the mission?" Sakura blanched at the mention of Sasuke turning her down.

"Naruto, you JERK." She said angrily, pounding him on the back of his head as hard as she could.

"Stop it, both of you." Kakashi said as Yoko told them to separate. They looked at each other, Kakashi smiled under his mask and Yoko arched her brow. Both Sakura and Naruto separated and shut their mouths as Yoko looked forward again.

A few minutes later they came to a large lake with a small hut semi-hidden in the dense forest. Yoko walked to the water's edge making signs as she went.

"Wakatsu."(2) Yoko said, stomping her foot down. Her scarlet, violet, and black chakra flared out, parting a path from the lake's shore to the front door of her home. She started walking across the damp white sand toward the small cabin. She turned when she didn't hear following footsteps, and saw the four of them still standing on the shore.

"Come on." She said, beckoning them to follow her. They waited for a few moments then Kakashi urged his charges forward onto the wet walkway.

They entered the abode as Yoko finished making signs, and said "Kaki." (3) She sent small fireballs in a rapid stream around the room. Candles ignited and the room was cast in a soft red-orange glow.

"Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto, you may take the first room on the left. Sakura, your room is the last door on the right."

Yoko gave the room assignments, pointing down a dimly lighted hallway, before turning and opening a screen to the kitchen. She lit the candles quickly, and grabbed a teapot. Cell 7 silently followed Yoko into the kitchen.

"Would you like some tea?" She asked without turning as she filled the pot with water.

"Hai, (4) arigato." (5) Sakura said politely.

Yoko looked over at them as she placed the pot on the stove. Kakashi nodded his answer as Sasuke glowered at her. Sakura looked at Yoko with doubt and mistrust, her gaze never fully met Yoko's. Naruto looked as if he were about to burst with questions but Sasuke beat him to it.

"We didn't make a sound when we came into the kitchen so how did you know we were here?" The teapot whistled loudly. Yoko grabbed it, turned off the burner and went into the living room knowing the others were right behind her.

"I have excellent hearing and my senses are sharper than most ninja." Her short answer sounded rehearsed and avoidant as she poured the tea into separate cups.

**"You aren't telling them the full truth, Yoko."** The hissing voice froze Yoko to her core.

She quickly finished pouring the tea, then grabbing a cup she said a hasty "Gomennasai" (6) and went into a room, closing the door behind her. She set the cup on the rich redwood desk and sat behind it facing the door.

_"You really don't listen well, do you?"_ Yoko asked flippantly.

**"You know they won't accept your past. They wouldn't work along side you without trying to kill you or hating you, judging you. You're a failure, screw-up, murderer. Remember!"**

_**FLASHBACK**_

_"Worthless child!" Takara yelled, backhanding Yoko again. _

_Yoko fell face first on the shattered glass of the dishes her mother threw at her a few moments earlier. Shards punctured her hands, the wounds on her back from yesterday tore open and she bit her lip to stop from crying out. A small whimper slipped out, infuriating her mother more. Takara looked down on her four year old daughter with empty, merciless eyes. As her mother's eyes turned pitch black Yoko knew if her older sister Kimi didn't return soon she would be in trouble. _

_"I'll get him back." Takara grabbed a large pot of steaming soup off the fire, completely oblivious to the metal now burning her hands. Yoko got up and ran for the door not caring that she would freeze if she went out in her thin nightwear. She tripped over a broom handle just a few yards from the door, leaving her nearly bare back exposed to her mother. She began to get up as scalding hot soup poured over her back, arms and legs. She screamed and just before she passed out she heard the front door opening._

**_END FLASHBACK_**

**_Knock, Knock._**

"Come in." Yoko said, shaking herself out of her reverie as the demon slowly receded. The door opened and Kakashi entered followed by Naruto and Sakura.

"Yes?"

"We were wondering what's for dinner." Sakura responded when no one answered.

"I'll see what I have. Just a minute.■ Yoko responded so softly they almost didn't hear her.

"That will be fine." Kakashi said, silencing Naruto's protest with a glance. He ushered them out of the room then turning around to face Yoko again, closed the door behind them.

"Yoko?" Kakashi asked, gaining her attention.

She glanced up then gestured for him to sit down in a chair facing her.

"Is your mother by any chance Anrui Takara?"

Yoko looked at him for a moment then dropped her eyes to her now cold tea.

"Hai." Again her answer was so soft it was almost missed.

"I knew your mother. She was very gifted. You have her kekkei genkai, don't you?" She nodded.

"Your mother became a Chunin the year before I entered the Academy. She went missing seven years later." Kakashi paused trying to read Yoko's face, but it was expressionless so he continued.

"How is she?"

Yoko stood up and grabbed her teacup.

"I had better go see about dinner."

With that she left the room and headed for the kitchen.

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JAPANESE WORDS

1) Kakumau-to shield, to shelter, or to hide

2) Wakatsu-to divide, to separate

3) Kaki-fire, flames, blaze

4) Hai-yes

5) Arigato -thank you

6) Gomennasai-i beg your pardon, excuse me

A/N: The next chapter is just a filler but I will get on with the story by chapter four. Gomennasai if anyone was confused, but please tell me what you think. Flames are most welcome.

DS


	3. Gomen

Sorry Everyone, I recently moved and currently can't find the story

Sorry Everyone, I recently moved and currently can't find the story. When I post next I'll put up two chapters to make up for it. Again, gomen!

-DS1907


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